Rabu, 30 April 2008

DATUK Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the Umno Youth chief, caused more than a bit of a stir when he spoke of `nepotisma and kronisma’ at the Youth assembly last Thursday, forcing the ensuing three-day Umno general assembly to debate issues associated with these alien terms openly.

The party found itself on the defensive because, as a member of the Umno supreme council, there were questions as to whether Zahid had raised the issues at its meetings chaired by the party president. It led to several significant things happening during the assembly.

It prompted the Government to issue several lists of names of so-called “Government cronies” who had been awarded shares or privatization projects. They included the Prime Minister’s son, the Deputy Prime Minister’s father and brother, Cabinet ministers and members of parliament, aside from hundreds of other names of “ordinary” Malays and Bumiputeras. Even Zahid’s name was in one of the lists.

Khamis, 24 April 2008

The new launch includes one-and-a-half storey linked houses priced from RM324,900 to RM490,080. See "Developments At A Glance" on this portal for details..

The latest phase of Bandar Enstek in Negri Sembilan, encompassing 12,400 residential units with a gross development value of over RM2.7 billion will be launched on April 27 by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Comprising linked houses, apartments, town houses, semi-detached and detached houses, the new phase will be known as the timur@enstek show village.

Also scheduled to be present at the launch will be TH Properties Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Azizan Abdul Rahman and chief executive officer Zaharuddin Saidon.

The timur@enstek show village spans seven acres and is touted to have innovative home concepts as well as recreational facilities for residents.

Bandar Enstek is developed and managed by TH Properties Sdn Bhd. This project is a joint-venture with the Negri Sembilan State Development Corporation (PKNNS).

The total development plan encompasses 5,116 acres of land. When completed, this integrated development will feature an extensive network of industrial, commercial, residential and institutional infrastructure and facilities.

Scheduled for completion by 2025, Bandar Ensttek is estimated to have a gross development value of RM9.2 billion, according to a Press release by TH Properties Sdn Bhd.

This project is located near the Sepang F1 Circuit which is touted to be five minutes away and 10 minutes from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). From Kuala Lumpur City Centre, it is about 40 minutes away by car.

Jumaat, 18 April 2008

PUTRAJAYA: Stop forcing Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to give a deadline on his handover of power to his deputy, Umno members were told.

Supreme council member Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said it was unbecoming of party members to pressure their president or for them to determine when Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak should take over.

“The party president has said that there is a succession plan and power transition will take place between him and Datuk Seri Najib. We should accept his explanation and allow him the time to do want he wants to do most, which is to strengthen the party.

“But he cannot do that if members continue to demand for changes to be made soon,” he said.

PUTRAJAYA: Stop forcing Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to give a deadline on his handover of power to his deputy, Umno members were told.

Supreme council member Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said it was unbecoming of party members to pressure their president or for them to determine when Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak should take over.

“The party president has said that there is a succession plan and power transition will take place between him and Datuk Seri Najib. We should accept his explanation and allow him the time to do want he wants to do most, which is to strengthen the party.

“But he cannot do that if members continue to demand for changes to be made soon,” he said.

PUTRAJAYA: The authorities are looking into ways on how best non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam can exercise one of their most difficult, if not important, duties – to inform their family members of their decision.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that while the Government realised that making it compulsory for future converts to announce their intention to their family would make it difficult for them, it was necessary to avoid confusion and problems.

He said that following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's announcement last week, the Syariah Judicial Department and the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) have been looking into ways to assist individuals planning to embrace Islam.

“I have also been discussing with the Minister in charge of legal matters, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, as to what can be done.

“We will be organising a conference next week where legal practitioners, Muslim scholars and ulamaks will converge to give their views and ideas on how best to tackle the issue,” he said yesterday.

“We need to hear what the experts say. We also need to make it easy for those who need to take on the responsibility of dropping the bombshell to their families,” he said.

Khamis, 17 April 2008

PUTRAJAYA: Authorities are looking into ways on how best non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam can exercise one of their most difficult, if not important duties - to inform their family members of their decision.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that while the Government realised that making it compulsory for future converts to announce their intention to their family would make it difficult for them, it was necessary to avoid confusion and problems, as had happened in a few incidents of late.

He said that ever since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's announcement last week, the Syariah Judicial Department and the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) have been looking into ways to assist individuals planning to embrace Islam.

"I have also been discussing with the Minister in charge of legal matters, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, as to what can be done.

"We will be organising a conference next week where legal practitioners, Muslim scholars and ulamaks will converge to give their views and ideas on how best to tackle the issue," he told reporters after witnessing the handing over of duties from Jakim to Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) on halal certification on Thursday.

He said that the outcome of the conference would be used as a guideline, adding it would be determined later whether it would be best for those intending to convert to Islam to inform their families before or after conversion.

"We need to hear what the experts say. We also need to make it easy for those who need to take on the responsibility of dropping the bombshell to their families," he said, adding that the authorities were also aware that informing the family before converting could result in them being prevented from embracing the religion of their choice.

Last week, the Prime Minister had announced a new regulation requiring non-Muslims converting to Islam to inform their family before doing so, saying this would prevent problems of families disputing the conversion of their loved ones when they die.

Rabu, 16 April 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: Imams should use a softer approach for young Muslims to be encouraged to go to mosques, said the Prime Minister.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said imams should be people whom the public respected and looked up to and not feared.

In a lighter vein: Abdullah and Ahmad Zahid sharing a light moment during the launch of the conference for imams at the Federal Territory mosque in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

He suggested that state religious departments conduct counselling courses for the officers of mosques.

He pointed out that if the imams were very harsh in their approach and always emphasised on punishment then people, especially the young, might be turned off.

“Why not start from a point of love and compassion and try and understand their problems and get to the bottom of why they are feeling in such a way?” said Abdullah.

“Show love and tell them that Allah loves them and accept repentance. Don’t start with anger,” he said, adding that sermons should be non-political.

Speaking at a conference for imams at the Federal Territory Mosque, Abdullah noted that some imams preferred to cast aside prepared sermons by the state religious departments in favour of their own ones.

“The prepared sermons are actually based on what is going on in society and the problems; so it should not be cast aside unless there is a more suitable and cogent sermon to address the specific needs or problems in a particular area,” he said.

Abdullah said that at times when sermons deviated from the state-prepared line, it caused problems and brought out anger among people, especially when it was related directly to politics.

“We want the Muslims, regardless of their political ideology – be it Umno, PAS, or PKR – to come to the mosques and be respectful to one another,” he said.

“We do not want a situation where people think this is 'their mosque' and that is ‘our mosque’. We want people to feel comfortable in all mosques.”

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in his speech that this was not the time for rhetoric, quarrels and fiery debates.

“Let us stand together and develop the state as planned by the country’s leader and let what we implement be a good example to the world,” he added.

Ahad, 13 April 2008

The anger and frustration among Umno grassroots leaders in Kedah and Penang was an eye-opener for the party's top leaders who are on a fact-gathering tour of the state where the Barisan Nasional lost.

THE venue of the Umno meeting in Alor Star had such a romantic name – Kelab Golf Cinta Sayang.

But the mood inside the club was anything but romantic.

The meeting between Kedah grassroots leaders and the Umno management committee was what a local politician described as panaih, the Kedah slang for panas or hot.

Fiery comments: The Umno management committee headed by Najib, seen here after a session in Penang, had to face a barrage of critical views from the party grassroots.

Kedah was the first stop for the management committee led by Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in its fact-gathering tour of states where the Barisan Nasional lost. The grassroots leadership at the divisional level is the power base of Umno leaders and their views are to be reckoned with.

Najib and his team had begun in Kedah on Thursday morning. And if they thought Kedah was panaih, their next stop in Penang turned out to be even hotter.

The party's top leadership has been aware of the unhappiness on the ground but the depth of anger, the extent of the grievances and the explicit calls for changes at the top, probably stunned the management committee.

The ground was not quite boiling over, but it was certainly simmering with frustration and resentment at what had happened to Umno in the elections.

“It was quite an eye-opener,” one committee member said the day after.

Or as one division chief from Penang put it: “The floodgates have been opened.”

Topping the list of grievances was the way candidates for the general election were picked.

There had, apparently, been a lot of high-handedness. Division chiefs, the people who run the party on the ground, had little say on the candidate list particularly in Kedah, which was largely decided upon by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.

As such, members did not like it when, at a forum last week, party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi identified sabotage as a reason for the party's losses.

They said the leadership should have inquired into the reasons for any sabotage instead of pointing fingers at the grassroots.

Former minister Datuk Kadir Sheikh Fadzil, sporting his trademark bow-tie, said division chiefs like himself were treated like tongkol kayu (block of wood), meaning their views were ignored.

“The choice of candidate is important if the party wants the grassroots to support and campaign for the candidate,” said Kadir.

But basically, Umno members in Kedah and Penang are still seething over the fact that they have been reduced to being the Opposition and so soon after celebrating the 50th year of Merdeka.

Umno supreme council members also came into the firing line.

“We voted for you but you don't speak up for us. Instead you only say what the leadership wants to hear,” one speaker had said.

The perception is that Umno leaders are more concerned about their own political interests than the needs of the grassroots or the future of the party.

The last time such strong words were levelled at top Umno leaders was after the 1999 election when Umno lost the Malay mandate.

The Umno management committee comprises the party's seven most senior leaders and most of them looked solemn, even worried, as they took in the feedback.

In Kedah, where the oral culture is more loquacious, the terminology was colourful and the opinions direct.

In urban Penang, the language was a little more refined but even then, the speakers did not beat about the bush. The speakers, as they say in Penang, gasak or hit out at the leadership.

Some of them urged the federal government to cancel mega projects in Penang because they said they were fed-up at the way projects benefited only certain people.

Almost all the speakers in Kedah were critical of those who had launched attacks on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The former Premier, one of them said, did not cause Umno's losses. Instead, claimed the speaker, the four parliamentary seats won in Kedah were linked to Dr Mahathir in some way – Langkawi where he has invested time and effort; Kubang Pasu, his old constituency; Alor Star where he was born; and Jerlun where his son contested.

“He was our PM for 22 years and contributed a lot. You mean to say that he is no longer our leader? Do not ever attack him because he is still our leader,” one speaker said to loud applause.

People like Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, Datuk Ahmad Shabery Chik and Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi were singled out for attacking Dr Mahathir. Information Minister Shabery got it worst because, as one speaker pointed out, he had once fought Umno on the side of then opposition Semangat 46.

Dr Mahathir may have more than his share of detractors outside of Umno but he is riding high in Kedah.

“They were very critical but it came from the heart. It made me realise how passionate we still are about the party and it gave me hope,” said Sungai Tiang assemblywoman Suraya Yaakob.

For the management committee members, the most awkward part was probably the calls for a leadership change.

Some were circumspect, asking “all leaders” to emulate what former Mentri Besar Tan Sri Sanusi Junid did when the Barisan lost in 12 state seats in 1999. Sanusi resigned although the Barisan still had a two-thirds majority over the state government.

Others were more direct, especially in Penang where they asked Abdullah to take responsibility. They even defined the succession line-up – Najib as the next president and Muhyiddin the deputy president. But the Kepala Batas and Bukit Mertajam divisions urged Abdullah to continue as president.

“Some want Pak Lah to stay, some want him to go. But he has made it very clear that he wants to first reunite and strengthen the party. It may take six months, it may take one or two years but so be it,” said a top party official.

However, when Johor Umno leaders asked Abdullah about his future political plans at a closed-door meeting on Friday, he indicated that he may stay till 2010.

Said political analyst Khoo Kay Peng: “It's not a good precedent if the president is forced down. It would not augur well for Umno the institution and I don't see Umno doing that. Till now, there has been no knock-out blow, just punches here and there.”

At this point in time, few in the party see Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah getting enough nominations to challenge Abdullah in December.

Even Dr Mahathir knows that however much noise he makes, he cannot unseat his successor. Only the supreme council or Najib, via a challenge, can do that and those two options have been dismissed.

Some people think Abdullah has tied up Najib's fate with him by naming him as the successor but the two men do have a genuine relationship even if some of the people around Abdullah do not feel 100% secure about Najib.

In that sense, Abdullah's position is quite assured even if not completely stable. He has been wounded but he has managed to stem the bleeding.

But the ground will continue to rumble and grumble and that may not be good for Umno or the country.

The odds are immense. There is Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim looming in the foreground. Umno leaders are bracing for another round of backlash when the branch meetings start in July and division meetings in September.

The divisional leaders in Perak, Selangor and Federal Territory will also be speaking their mind when they meet the management committee next week.

Then there is Dr Mahathir. He has reportedly flown off to London for a live interview on BBC's Hardtalk and has more speaking engagements on his return.

A great deal will depend on how Abdullah can salvage the situation over the next few months, both at the federal government level as well as on the party front.

Selasa, 8 April 2008

PUTRAJAYA: All Syariah court judges will soon have at least a Masters degree and be sent for special courses in Egypt and Britain to expand their knowledge, experience and exposure, particularly in handling increasingly complicated cases due to modernisation and development.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said 10 of the 200-odd Syariah judges were already going for weekend courses at the Islamic International University for various Masters programme while some were now in Egypt and the Britain.

“This effort is crucial due to the complexity of cases judges have to deal with. I believe there is nothing like experience and exposure to help them in their work,” Ahmad Zahid told newsmen after attending a two-hour briefing at the Syariah Judiciary Department yesterday.

It was his first visit to the department after taking office as the minister in charge of religious affairs.

He said cases handled by Syariah courts were no longer just about settling divorces, determining the quantum for child support or dealing with religious offences.

Division of property due to divorce, he added, was not as simple nor as clear cut as before while apostasy and renouncing Islam cases were complex.

“If in those days divorce meant giving weapons to the man and the cutlery to the wife, today it is not just about who takes the house or land, but also division of shares, stocks and bonds, and also EPF savings.

“Judges also have to deal with issues outside Syariah law such as financial laws,” he said.

As for cases involving apostates and Muslims renouncing the religion, Ahmad Zahid said he would talk on the issue after having a discussion with experts and ulama on the matter, but admitted that such cases were also a “problem for Syariah judges”.

He said the number of cases being solved in Syariah courts were impressive, with 90% of the cases heard, tried and solved within 12 months after being registered, adding that the Government would be spending RM36mil to set up Syariah court complexes in Kelantan, Penang and Sabah.

Isnin, 7 April 2008

PUTRAJAYA: All Syariah court judges will soon have at least a Masters degree and be sent for special courses in Egypt and United Kingdom to expand their knowledge, experience and exposure, particularly in handling increasingly complicated cases due to modernisation and development.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said 10 of the 200-odd Syariah judges were already going for weekend courses at the Islamic International University for various Masters programme while some were now in Egypt and the UK.

"This effort is crucial due to complexities faced by judges in dealing with Syariah cases. I firmly believe there is nothing like experience and exposure to help them in their work,” he said.

Ahmad Zahid was speaking to reporters after attending a two-hour briefing at the Syariah Judiciary Department on Monday.

This was his first visit to the department after taking office as the minister in charge of religious affairs.

He said cases handled by Syariah courts were no longer just about settling divorces, determining the quantum for child support or dealing with religious offences.

Division of property due to divorce, he added, were not as “simple” nor as clear cut as before while apostasy and renouncing Islam has also resulted in cases being becoming more complex.

“Progress has led to intricacies in dealing with such cases. If in those days divorce meant giving weapons to the man and the cutlery to the wife, today it is not just about who takes the house or land, but also division of shares, stocks and bonds, and also EPF savings.

“Judges also have to deal with issues outside the syariah law such as financial laws. Hence, the need for the 200-odd syariah judges to constantly keep themselves abreast with knowledge to help them deal with `difficult’ cases brought before them,” he said.

As for cases involving apostates and Muslims renouncing the religion, Ahmad Zahid said he would talk on the issue after having a special discussion with experts and ulamaks on the matter, but admitted that such cases were also a “problem for syariah judges”.

KUALA LUMPUR: There should be a closed-door convention at every state for Umno members to air their views instead of extraordinary general meetings, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The conventions could be held as long as they did not break up Umno, he said referring to Gua Musang Umno division chief Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's call for an EGM to discuss the recent general election, which had allegedly eroded the people’s support and confidence in Umno.

He was speaking to reporters after launching a book collection on Islam by the National Translation Institute in conjunction with the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair here yesterday.

Ahmad Zahid blamed Tengku Razaleigh for Kelantan's downfall and said Tengku Razaleigh and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad should stop their criticisms as they were trying to destroy Umno instead of uniting it.

He also said that any differences of opinion should be voiced in a civil manner and not done emotionally.

Fresh from the printers: Ahmad Zahid showing the book ‘Adab Dialog Dalam Islam’ at the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair yesterday. With him are the National Translation Institute chairman Datuk Dr Wan Hashim Wan Teh (centre) and chief executive officer Mohd Khair Ngadiron. — Bernama

“It is normal to have differences in opinion but we must make sure it is based on facts and not emotions to avoid any conflict,” he said.

The Umno supreme council member said Islam allowed differences of opinion but suggested referring to the book Adab Dialog dalam Islam for tips.

When asked if he was hinting at Dr Mahathir who had been making scathing remarks on the leadership, Ahmad Zahid said: “I'm partly hinting at him.”

He also brushed off Pahang Umno liaison committee secretary Datuk Ahmad Tajuddin Sulaiman's remark that all Umno supreme council members should resign.

At another function, Dr Mahathir agreed that all supreme council members should resign given the dismal performance in the general election but added that “they do not have the guts as they are yes-men.”

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 (Bernama) -- The action by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in strongly criticising Umno's leadership can be likened to throwing stones at a glass house, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said when he (Zahid) was Umno Youth chief from 1996 to 1999, he had once been warned by Mahathir not to do the same.

"The glass house is Umno, and the issues I brought up then was about Umno leaders practising cronyism. The warning he gave me is still etched in my mind until today.

"Now, he (Mahathir) is hurling "hailstones", not just to crack the walls (of Umno) but to destroy the party to the ground.

"I just wish to remind him about his warning to Umno members then," Ahmad Zahid, who is also an Umno Supreme Council (MT) member, told Bernama here Saturday.

He said it would be better if Mahathir used a softer approach and not resort the opposition's style of attacking Umno leaders.

He said his (Dr Mahathir's) actions would be turned into a time bomb by the opposition to destroy Umno from the outside because Dr Mahathir was taking the step to destroy the party from within.

"With all due respect to him, in my opinion, he should be going all out to unite Umno members just as he had wanted when Umno faced an internal crisis in 1987, which led to the deregistration of the party in 1988.

"It's not to late for him to refresh his memory of the time he was in power. I just want to remind him of what he always exhorted that is "Melayu Mudah Lupa" (Malays forget easily)," added Ahmad Zahid. - BERNAMA

Selasa, 1 April 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: The Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia has called on Muslims to boycott Dutch-made products to protest against the screening of anti-Islam film Fitna by Dutch legislator Geert Wilders.

The association, together with the NGO Consultative Council and the Muslim Restaurants Association of Malaysia, said in a statement that the video “openly insulted the Quran.”

Such an irresponsible act could affect world peace and relations between religious groups and Muslim consumers should object to the act, it said.

“We believe the boycott will send a clear message to people not to play with the sensitivities of Muslims,” it said.

The PAS Central Youth Council also called for a boycott of Dutch products, saying that it condemned the screening of the film and demanded immediate action by the producer to retrieve it.

In Malacca, Malay Islamic World Secretariat chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam described the filmmaker as “uncivilised” and “insane” as his actions may result in losses and harm to innocent people affected by the film.

He said the secretariat was expected to send a protest note to the Dutch Embassy over the film.

He supported moves by companies here to initiate legal action against Wilders if they suffered losses following a call to boycott Dutch products by Muslim consumers.

In Nilai, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urged Muslim intellectuals and youths who have been campaigning for the Opposition through the Internet to show their indignation against the film through the medium.

“They should take advantage of their resourcefulness and skills which they had used against the establishment, this time to defend Islam,” he told reporters after opening the National Fatwa Council meeting.

Wilders had launched the film on the Internet after Dutch distributors refused to release it on Thursday.

The Malaysian National Islamic Students Association has sent a protest note to the Dtuch government, expressing its disappointment over the film.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia has called on Muslims to boycott Dutch-made products to protest against the screening of anti-Islam film Fitna by Dutch legislator Geert Wilders.

The association, together with the NGO Consultative Council and the Muslim Restaurants Association of Malaysia, said in a statement that the video “openly insulted the Quran.”

Such an irresponsible act could affect world peace and relations between religious groups and Muslim consumers should object to the act, it said.

“We believe the boycott will send a clear message to people not to play with the sensitivities of Muslims,” it said.

The PAS Central Youth Council also called for a boycott of Dutch products, saying that it condemned the screening of the film and demanded immediate action by the producer to retrieve it.

In Malacca, Malay Islamic World Secretariat chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam described the filmmaker as “uncivilised” and “insane” as his actions may result in losses and harm to innocent people affected by the film.

He said the secretariat was expected to send a protest note to the Dutch Embassy over the film.

He supported moves by companies here to initiate legal action against Wilders if they suffered losses following a call to boycott Dutch products by Muslim consumers.

In Nilai, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urged Muslim intellectuals and youths who have been campaigning for the Opposition through the Internet to show their indignation against the film through the medium.

“They should take advantage of their resourcefulness and skills which they had used against the establishment, this time to defend Islam,” he told reporters after opening the National Fatwa Council meeting.

Wilders had launched the film on the Internet after Dutch distributors refused to release it on Thursday.

The Malaysian National Islamic Students Association has sent a protest note to the Dtuch government, expressing its disappointment over the film.